Our Mission

Dramatically increase the number of adoptions of

children waiting in North America’s foster care systems.

Instantly give the gift of family

About the Foundation

The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a national, nonprofit public charity dedicated exclusively to finding permanent homes and loving families for the nearly 155,000 children waiting in North America’s foster care systems. Created by Wendy’s® founder Dave Thomas who was adopted, the Foundation implements evidence-based, results-driven national service programs, foster care adoption awareness campaigns and innovative grantmaking. Learn more | View annual report

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Programs

Foster Care Adoption

Children enter foster care through no fault of their own, because they have been abused, neglected or abandoned. In the United States, 443,000 children are in foster care, more than 123,000 of whom are available for adoption. These children are victims and deserve our best efforts to find them a safe, loving and permanent family. As our founder, Dave Thomas, always said,

“These children are not someone else’s responsibility. They are our responsibility.”

Read FAQ to learn more about foster care adoption and what to expect on the adoption journey.

In the United States:

The average age of a child in foster care is 8.5 years old.

On average, children wait at least three years to be adopted from foster care.

Every year, 20,000 youth age out of foster care leaving them at a higher risk for negative outcomes like homelessness, unemployment and lack of education.

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